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Current Issues
Mayor’s Civic Parade and Service 2025
The Mayors Civic Service was held on Sunday 12th October at St. Michael & All Angels Church. The parade from Sydney House car park was led by Torrington Silver Band followed by representatives from many local groups and visiting Mayors and Dignitaries.
The Mayor would like to thank everyone who attended, took part in the parade and helped with the organisation with special thanks to Father Steve for leading the service.
Emergency Planning Group – Getting Ready for Winter
In August 2024 a small group of Councillors from Great Torrington Town Council plus local representatives from Devon & Cornwall Police and Devon & Somerset Fire Service met to discuss Emergency Planning for the town. As part of this discussion, it was suggested that it would be useful to produce information each season to address common concerns that effect local people.
There are many useful online resources offering advice about getting ready for the colder months ahead. However, we understand that not everyone can access online resources confidently, so if you need help accessing further information do get in touch (01805 626135) we can provide printed copies of information where needed. It is also possible to obtain information and IT support from your local library. If you have specific concerns relating to your health during the cold weather speak with your GP and other healthcare providers.
Examples of useful online resources:
- Winter advice for the elderly – Age UK
- Winter vaccinations – NHS.gov.uk
- Things to do now to prepare for winter – Met Office.
- Financial advice – for those experiencing financial difficulty in later life – independentage.org
The Met Office recommends these ten steps:
(Metoffice.gov.uk)
- Be prepared for power cuts and internet outage due to stormy weather. Have a battery pack or separate batteries, keep a list of important contact numbers somewhere easy to find (near the phone) e.g. family members, GP practice, the power cut helpline number – 105, plumber, electrician etc.
- Check your heating – Cold weather can be a risk to your health, particularly if you are over 65 or have health conditions. Ideally your home (and those of elderly relatives and neighbours) should be heated to at least 18°C. Keeping your home warm this winter – Met Office
- Weatherproof your home & garden – pack away items that may be vulnerable to high winds, consider checking for loose branches, fence panels or slates. Anything that may become dangerous in high winds.
- Check your plumbing – Do you know where your stop tap is?
- Make plans – think ahead, consider how you will get to work, can you work from home, how will childcare be managed if the schools are closed?
- Have basic supplies to hand – make up a handy supply of essential items.
- Check your car is winter ready – Prepare a winter kit for your car – Met Office
Keep a warm blanket, torch, high visibility jacket, and some food in your car for emergencies. For the full winter car kit visit the Met Office website.
- Think about vulnerable neighbours – if you know you have a family member or neighbour who may find it difficult to access the information or resources they need, could you offer to help?
- Keep up to date with recommended seasonal vaccinations. (www.nhs.uk)
- Find out how the community can prepare for seasonal changes and emergencies, have a look at the below webpages for further information on being prepared and resilient as a community :
- campaign.gov.uk
- gov.uk – community resilience
One of the most common issues people contact Great Torrington Town Council about during winter, particularly if we experience snow and ice, is the location of salt bins. So please do get in touch if you need information about your nearest salt bin. Guidance on how the salt should be used can be found online – grit/salt should be used sparingly and is provided primarily for use on the roads.
The Bickford in South Street is a great place to pop in for a cup of tea and some company, plus you can access useful information.
Look out for other local services offering a warm space throughout the winter.
Great Torrington Town Council Bake Off
Mayor Phil Cloke is kicking off his fundraising for the Mayors charities for 2025/26 with the “Great Torrington Bake Off”. His chosen charities for this year are Torrington Rugby Club & The Bickford Centre.
This event will be held in the Undercroft at the Town Hall on Saturday 20th September between 10:30am and 12:30pm.
This event is open to all ages, and we would love to see a wide variety of cakes, whether it’s a showstopper, a traditional sponge, a gluten free cake, a vegetable-based offering or a cupcake: we will leave it up to you to decide what to bake!
There will be prizes for ‘Best in Show’, ‘Tastiest Treat’ and ‘Best Bake by an Under 16’. We will be selecting a panel of local expert judges, and there will be rosettes and certificates for commended entries.
The fee will be £5 per entry for adults and £2 per entry for U16s (cash only on the day please) and with the permission of entrants we would like to auction the cakes at the end of the event. All proceeds will be for the Mayors charities.
If you don’t fancy submitting an entry into the competition, we will be asking for donated cakes and treats to sell throughout the event and there will be tea, coffee and some soft drinks available to buy for a small sum with all proceeds going to the same charities.
Entry forms can be downloaded here: DOWNLOADABLE ENTRY FORM or they can be collected from the Town Council offices at Castle Hill or from Torrington Library.
Vandalism – Trafalgar Drive play park
We have had yet another incident of vandalism in Trafalgar Drive play park this weekend, the benches were targeted once again.
A few weeks ago the technicians were able to repair the damage but this time the benches were completely destroyed and will not be replaced for the time being.
If anyone has any information as to who might be responsible for this, please do not hesitate to contact us. This incident will be reported to the police.
Allotments waiting list
Would you be interested in having an allotment plot at our site at Weare Trees🌻?
If you would like to join our waiting list for available plots please get in touch, priority goes to residents of Great Torrington.
We can be contacted via Facebook, by email on [email protected] or by telephone on 01805 626135.
Great Torrington Town Council Grant Funding
The Plough Arts Centre:
Great Torrington Town Council endeavours to support organisations and projects which it feels are essential to the community and will allow the town to grow and thrive.
One such organisation is The Plough Arts Centre. The Plough is now under new management with a new Chief Executive and Chair of Trustee’s and a new direction with a strong focus on working smarter to ensure that it remains open as a thriving base for arts, culture, film, comedy, craft, food and entertainment for many years to come.
Emma Marston, the new Chief Executive, has an impressive background in radio broadcasting, including the BBC Radio, Heart, and The Voice. She also has an excellent track record in working with local charities and turning them around. The new management has a clear strategy going forward, with a reduced programme focusing on live acts that will sell out. This strategy is already working and showing positive results.
The Plough hosts events which appeal to all ages and abilities both within Great Torrington and across surrounding areas, as such it is one of the town’s main attractions encouraging visitors throughout the year.
You will have seen that the organisation has been awarded large grants from the Arts Council, however this funding has to be spent on specific projects and cannot be used to fund every day running costs.
Therefore, The Plough are in a funding crisis while they wait for the new business strategy to kick in and support their long-term sustainability. Reserves have been significantly depleted, and they have asked for a total of £60,000 to ensure that this valuable community asset and regional hub for arts and culture is able to keep its doors open and continue to deliver entertainment from local and national artists on our doorsteps.
At a recent meeting of Great Torrington Town Council members voted unanimously to support The Plough with an emergency grant of £15,000. This will give the new management a chance to build on current progress and allow the new strategy to take effect. Members of Great Torrington Town Council see The Plough as an essential organisation within the community, which is at the heart of the regeneration of the town.
The Globe Project:
The Globe Project Community Share offer is gathering pace as we speak, and signs are good that the target will be successfully achieved, with the deadline for purchasing shares extended to August 2025.
Earlier this year Great Torrington Town Council supported the project with a grant of £5,000 towards the administration costs of the project.
The council is committed to initiatives that encourage the regeneration of the town, and this project has a central role to play in encouraging visitors back into Great Torrington to eat, relax and stay. The project will also offer valuable opportunities for training and employment which will benefit local people
Community Grants awarded to local organisations from the Commons Allotment Charity & the Precept 2025/26:
| Men’s Shed | Torrington in Bloom |
| Commons Conservators | Torridgeside AFC |
| The Museum | Little Frogs Pre-School |
| Cavaliers | Friends of Torrington Library |
| CDT | Building Preservations Trust |
| The Plough Arts Centre | The Crier |
| Torrington Silver Band | Grosvener – Grow Baby |
| Army Cadets | Elska Yoga |
| Torridge Elite Majorettes | The Globe Hotel |
| Tarka Valley Railway | Torri Youth |
| Bickford Centre | North Devon Record Office |
| Girlguiding |
Emergency Grant Funding
Each year the Town Council allocate a sum of money for grant applications that come in outside of the grant application period. This year there is £3,000 in this fund, so if you represent a local community group who need a small amount of funding, which is required in the current financial year, do get in touch.
Call: 01805 626135 or email: [email protected] for further information.
Management of Weeds
Management of Weeds:
We have continued to try and minimise the use of harmful chemicals to control weeds heading into this summer, whilst balancing this with maintaining a tidy town and not allowing self-seeding plants to damage pavements and walls.
There are things that we can all can do to reduce the need for the use of harmful chemicals to keep the town looking tidy and welcoming, and minimise damage to buildings and structures:
· Outside Your Own Home:
1. If you are able, keep the area outside your own home free of self-seeding plants & grasses by pulling up visible weeds by hand, and sweeping away debris which provides the ideal environment for seeds to grow.
2. If you are able clear weeds from the area between the house and the pavement; local councils will not pull up weeds here, as this is a homeowner responsibility.
3. If you frequently park on the road, pull the weeds between the road and the pavement, near your property/car, and sweep away any debris, as local authority vehicles are unable to use their equipment to sweep and clear these areas due to the prevalence of on-street parking during the day.
4. If you have a neighbour or family member who can’t manage these activities themselves, consider doing points 1-3 for them too.
If self-seeding plants or trees are affecting the visibility on a road, please contact Devon County Council.
These relatively small individual actions can create one big community action that will contribute towards keeping our whole town looking tidy and welcoming for locals and visitors.